Engineering support proves vital to Premier League upgrade undertaken at the John Smith’s Stadium

Design and engineering company partners with stadium operators to improve the 24,120-seat venue in line with Premier League standards.

BakerHicks, the multidisciplinary design and engineering company, has released details of its involvement with a series of improvements to the John Smith’s Stadium in the UK, which is home to newly promoted English Premier League soccer club Huddersfield Town.

Upgrades include new stadium dugouts, lighting, as well as media and advertising facilities required of a team in the top tier of English soccer.

Kirklees Stadium Development Limited (KDSL) approached BakerHicks – the two companies have an ongoing working relationship – to provide civil and structural engineering support for the upgraded John Smith’s Stadium.

BakerHicks assessed how urgent upgrade works would impact the existing stadium structure and ensured they did not compromise either the buildings or the safety of fans, players and staff.

This included assessing whether the previous floodlight columns and the existing roof structures could accommodate bigger, heavier lights, as well as whether new LED ribbon advertising hoardings could also be safely installed.

BakerHicks also advised on the development of new TV studio and balcony camera seats, plus the installation of new Recaro seats in redesigned and lowered dugouts for the managers and coaching staff.

Andy Gotts, director of civil and structural engineering at BakerHicks, says, “The new floodlights were a particular challenge, in assessing the floodlight towers we recognized that the weight and size of the new lights would attract significantly higher wind loads.

“Careful analysis and design enabled KDSL to utilize the existing columns, confident that they presented no risk to the larger crowds expected with Huddersfield Town’s Premier League promotion.”